


Terra Nullius

by GunnerPalace



Series: Sakura Fireworks (Demons of the Sun and Moon) [3]
Category: Bleach
Genre: Developing Relationship, Explicit Sexual Content, F/M, Fluff, Fluff and Smut, Romance, Smut
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-03-30
Updated: 2017-03-30
Packaged: 2018-10-12 22:27:08
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 6,094
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/10500708
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/GunnerPalace/pseuds/GunnerPalace
Summary: As is usual lately, Kūkaku is idling in one of the Kuchiki manor's many bath houses to escape the last vestiges of winter, when she's brought lunch by a surprise visitor—Byakuya himself. Their personalities spark, as they often do, only this time one thing leads to another and they both get rather more than they bargained for.





	

**Author's Note:**

> This work is set within the timeline of [Demons of the Sun and Moon](https://archiveofourown.org/works/5970034/chapters/13720852), particularly after the events of Chapter 61 (October 1, 2002). Some of the finer details (like why Kūkaku has her right arm back) are explained therein, but this series can largely be read as a standalone. This was originally written in response to a prompt on Tumblr.

**Late March, 2003**

Kūkaku's head lolled back against the edge of the soaking tub as she finally let go of everything, caring only to idly wonder where the Kuchiki manor got the heat from. As far as she was aware, there were no natural hot springs near the Seireitei—Shinigami Health Land clearly used furnaces and she'd never seen any indication of such machinery nearby.

She'd been pondering the matter for awhile when the sound of the doors opening drew her attention. She languidly opened her eyes and cast her gaze toward them.

Byakuya entered with a tray holding various small bowls, steadily walking it over to the side of the tub. Neither he nor the dishes made a single sound.

She smirked slightly and closed her eyes. "I thought you had people for this kind of thing. Are they on strike?" The normally fretful maids and servants had, for once, seen fit to leave her to her own devices after she'd entered the bathing area.

"It has become apparent you prefer not to be attended to." His volume indicated he was beside the tub, although that still left him about two meters away.

Kūkaku's smirk faded. She regarded him with amusement—he'd placed the tray on its legs beside the tub and was facing the same way as her. "So what are you doing here, then?"

"The duty of a host is to look after their guests."

Kūkaku raised an eyebrow and looked him up and down, dubious, before closing her eyes again. "Well, you've brought snacks, so what is it? You want to peek at me or something?

Byakuya let out a disinterested "Hmph."

"What?"

"What would there be to see that I have not already?" She would always start and end her visits in attire befitting her station, but would invariably change to that ridiculously revealing outfit of hers shortly after arriving. Between it, her figure, and her disdain for conservative posture and economic movement, he'd inadvertently caught sight of more than a little of her over time.

When the comment registered, her eyes opened to cool slits and snapped toward him.

Byakuya was already looking sideways at her with a stony expression—and making eye contact.

They stared each other down for what could've been seconds or hours before she decisively stood, rivulets of water running down her body as she straightened and took an open, yet defiant stance. Her hands rested upon her hips, hiding nothing.

He offered no overt response.

Kūkaku eventually let her neutral expression become flinty, no longer even daring him to look, but silently demanding it.

The moment dragged on before Byakuya casually let his eyes drop and rise again to take her in—the gleam of beading water upon her, the tautness that underlay her soft curves, her flawless complexion, and more besides. He eventually locked eyes with her again. Those turquoise-green depths seemed to glitter.

"Well? Seen anything new?"

He glanced aside.

Kūkaku stalked through the water until she stood before him, looked up, and lifted her hand. She used a single finger to tilt his chin so he regarded her again. She kept her voice pointedly blasé: "What's that? Do you want a closer look?"

He reached up and gently took her wrist, moving it back just enough so she wasn't touching him.

Her eyes widened a fraction, and then narrowed abruptly as the smooth fabric of his sleeve brushed against her chest. However, she made no moves, instead glancing between his hand and his eyes. Byakuya remained a cipher despite their proximity and contact, and something about that was... intensely frustrating.

Byakuya quietly studied Kūkaku's expression. Even standing there nude with one of her arms captured, she wasn't afraid of him—not in the slightest. If anything, she seemed annoyed.

He'd come to appreciate that look on her.

He closed his eyes as his thoughts turned, as they so often did, to Hisana. The woman standing in front of him was absolutely nothing like her—it was hard to imagine a seemingly more perfect yet still believable opposite. But Hisana had possessed much more depth than quiet kindness, just as Kūkaku couldn't possibly be encapsulated within mere loud brashness. Truthfully, it wasn't just that look of hers he'd started to appreciate.

If he was smart, he'd turn and walk out of the room, but that'd be a concession to her. If he was true, he'd take far more than her wrist in hand, but that'd be a concession to himself. What would Hisana say, seeing him standing there?

Byakuya already knew the answer, if he was honest with himself—if he couldn't be with her, then she would've wanted him to be happy, and would have softly but ardently rebuked him for closing himself off in her name.

He made up his mind in an instant.

Slowly, he brought Kūkaku's arm back down to her side, releasing her. Then he allowed a hint of amusement into his expression. "Could it perhaps be you prefer my attention to that of my staff?"

She blinked before closing her own eyes, turning her head and scoffing. "Don't act so full of yourself."

"Considering I interrupted your soak, I could offer a massage as compensation."

She gazed at him sideways. It sounded like a genuine offer; she couldn't find anything that resembled impudence or mockery in his face or tone, no matter how thoroughly she studied him. "... Fine."

Byakuya turned and retreated wordlessly, off to retrieve the necessary linens.

Kūkaku ignored the sudden urge to turn or cover herself—she would concede nothing, and having already shown herself to him, there was little to conceal anyway. She stepped out of the tub and stretched, her bearing deliberately indifferent as she waited.

Byakuya was soon beside her again. He offered her two towels, one full-length and the other smaller.

Kūkaku took both, noting how he kept his eyes on her face, and wiped herself down before working to dry what of her hair had gotten wet. She watched surreptitiously as he laid out another set of towels and throw cushions on the hardwood floor. It was as they were both finishing that she decided to needle him: "You, Kuchiki Byakuya, don't own a massage table?"

"I assumed you preferred not to wait." He stood aside and gestured with an open hand.

She frowned a little, both at his cheek and his caution, and dropped both towels—there was no point in the pretense of covering herself—before moseying past him and getting situated on her stomach. She crossed her arms beneath her chin.

Byakuya knelt to one side of her and uncorked a small bottle of massage oil, pouring some onto his free hand before setting the bottle down and spreading the oil over both.

Kūkaku sniffed at the wafting scent—it was pleasant but unfamiliar; she'd never encountered ylang-ylang before. She'd just started to turn her head when his fingertips came to rest on the small of her back. She tensed.

He kept his touch light, only gradually bringing his palms down onto her as he worked the oil into her skin. He did his best not to think about how supple she was—just the right combination of soft and firm everywhere.

Kūkaku slowly relaxed and very deliberately stayed quiet at the mixed sensation of his warm hands and the cooling oil. She focused on breathing as he roved over her shoulders, neck, and arms before his attention turned to her armpits and her flanks. She silently sucked in a gasp of air as his fingers just barely traced the beginning of the curve of her chest before returning to the small of her back.

There was a pause as Byakuya oiled his hands again.

She bit her lip as his palms slid down over the curve of her rear and his thumbs traced between her buttocks, smoothly gliding to the tops of her thighs and back again. It took a conscious effort to stay still as they made the trip a third time and continued down her legs.

Byakuya kept on until he reached the middle of her thighs. Then he dipped his hands between them to fully coat them.

Kūkaku shut her eyes tightly as she did her best to let him work while keeping her upper thighs together—she had her limits.

He carried on in his own good time to her knees, calves, ankles, and feet. As he finished, he took one of her feet in hand and carefully compressed her toes until they popped. Only then did he begin to properly massage her.

Kūkaku dug her fingers into the towels and cushions at the sea change from caressing to kneading. She'd never really received a massage before—she was rather picky about who she allowed to touch her, and under what circumstances—and it was a novel experience, albeit a pleasing one. She paused at the thought, reflecting on why it might be that she felt at ease with allowing Byakuya to have free reign.

Byakuya attended to only one of her legs at a time, and worked with them in stages. He only resumed massaging both at the same time once he was more than halfway up her thighs.

When he cupped her ass in both hands, she bit her right forearm. But only after he began to squeeze did she find herself swallowing gasps.

Byakuya, however, lingered only briefly before moving on—she wasn't that tense and it was clear it'd get worse if he kept his focus there. He spent a great deal of time massaging her back, occasionally straying to her sides, ribs, upper arms, and neck so it wouldn't become too monotonous for her.

Kūkaku eventually extended her arms above her head, resting her palms on the floor and burying her face against one of the cushions. By then, she was limp. Her one and only concession to mindfulness was to keep her legs drawn together.

Her attention was arrested anew when Byakuya started to focus exclusively on her neck. He stroked a hand along her throat to tilt her jaw up.

Although it meant surrendering the towel she'd bitten, she acquiesced, her windpipe vibrating against his fingers with a barely suppressed hum as he kneaded her skin. It was hard not to turn her head into his touch as his thumbs brushed behind her ears.

Eventually, Byakuya released her and did his best to merely soothe, ephemerally stroking her skin.

After a short while appreciating the faint contact, Kūkaku slowly opened her eyes. She felt wonderfully relaxed, but that wasn't what she wanted more of. Her gaze slid toward the side he was on, though she didn't dare turn her head to try and see him. She looked the other way and closed her eyes again.

She wasn't naïve. She knew what she liked. She masturbated, she'd had sex, and she'd taken more than a few lovers in her time. None of them, nothing she'd ever done, compared to the promise of pleasure in the soft caress of those fingers. There was nothing expectant behind it, nothing demanding or taunting. It simply was, and she trusted in it as certainly as it had made her wet. She clenched her jaw before she finally committed, curving her back so his hands pressed flat against her.

They went still. Byakuya quietly swallowed and shut his eyes for a second. It wasn't hard to interpret the gesture. It was one thing to consider her, another to want her, and another still for her to want him. He tried to think his way through the moment.

Kūkaku slowly started to flex in order to rub herself against his palms, using her chest and hips as pivots. She had her pride; she would not speak her interest.

Giving up his consideration, Byakuya once again began to sensually brush her back. At the same time, he maneuvered such that he knelt over her thighs.

Kūkaku shivered at the feeling of his  _shihakushō_  on her bare skin, but didn't stop.

When she was at the apex of one of her cycles, he slid his hands to either side of her and squeezed, stilling her. He then grasped her by the hips and pulled up and back.

She cooperated and lifted her rear, leveraging herself up by bringing her legs forward so she was kneeling. Her legs were still clasped tightly together.

Once he was sure she was stable, Byakuya began to run his hands from the inner line of her hips to her sternum, kneading her abs.

Kūkaku reversed her previous motion, arching her back to press her belly into his hands. She had a keen sense of how powerful they were and she wanted more of their attention.

Byakuya took his time, waiting until their rhythms matched. His hands were right under the curve of her breasts and she was fully flexed when he cupped her. She was truly a handful; his fingers easily sank against her.

He shut his eyes and steadied his breathing. He'd been on pins and needles the whole time, and freely touching her was sorely testing his restraint.

Kūkaku softly hissed at the sensation, shifting her weight to her stomach and lifting her shoulders.

He forced his attention from the ache between his legs back to her. He brought his hands forward, so that rather than resting upon her breasts, she lay with the undersides of them against the linens, and he was free to fondle them.

She finally moaned and brought her forehead down against her arms, squirming.

The sound was enough to persuade Byakuya to adjust his grip, trapping her perky nipples between his middle and ring fingers and pinching them every time he groped her.

Her breathing became shallower and her fingers clutched at the towels as another moan escaped her. Each clench made her gasp and it was no time at all before she was puffy.

Byakuya soon released her and brushed the sides of her breasts. He ran his hands down her flanks, stopping at her hips again and following their curves inwards to the very bottom of her abdomen. Bracing her belly with one hand, Byakuya combed the other through her surprisingly soft tuft of hair.

Kūkaku shifted her hips sympathetically. He was only reaching so far down and it was still making her head spin.

He didn't linger, and instead brought his hands around to her rear. After pressing her forward some, he traced down to the middle of her thighs like before, sliding his thumbs between them and grasping her.

Kūkaku once more bit her lip and finally spread enough to let him see her. She made a noise as the comparatively cool air hit her—nothing could've made it more obvious how wet she was. Her cheeks reddened as she felt droplets trickling down her inner thighs and dripping off her.

Byakuya watched, but subtly, and caught a strand of clear nectar on a finger without brushing her skin. He brought it to his lips.

His nostrils flared at the scent of her, and her taste... his  _fundoshi_  suddenly felt far too small and his clothes as a whole seemed to strangle him. Part of him wanted to tear them off so he could just ravish her...

Byakuya clenched his jaw and shut his eyes, centering himself. He'd chosen to make it about her, so he'd keep it that way. Carefully, he released her, brushing the back of his fingers up the inside of her legs.

Kūkaku shook at the encroaching heat of his hands and the sensation of her juices being used like oil. He was so close...

He only briefly caressed her since her need was so evident, stopping as his index fingers bumped against where her legs met.

She bucked her hips and whispered something.

Byakuya brought his left hand against her tailbone to keep her from moving too wildly and closed the right over her mound to stroke two fingers along either side of it.

Kūkaku pressed against his hand and moved in kind with it, neither willing nor able to stop herself from vocalizing her want any longer.

He spread and compressed her outer lips over and over again, building a pattern for both of them before sliding his two central fingers between them, rubbing her directly. She was hot and perfectly slick, and as his fingers extended fully, they nudged against the hard knot of her clit.

It was all she could do not to thrash. In that moment, she needed him with every fiber of her being.

With only a slight delay, he tilted his hand and smoothly plunged both digits as far as he could into her core.

She let out a low cry of relief as her aching need was finally fulfilled. She rocked back against his hand in appreciation, already trying to ride it.

Byakuya let her, dipping the full length of his fingers in and out of her as she soaked them, slightly twisting his hand from side to side to stroke different parts of her. He wanted her to show what she liked and make it clear to him.

Kūkaku quickly found her own rhythm. She buried her face in the crook of an arm and focused on her breathing so she wouldn't hear her wet sounds so clearly. It was already hard to think and she didn't notice his left hand had gone missing. She only became aware of it again when it slid along the inside of a thigh and gathered up some of her juices.

Before she knew it, Byakuya was using two fingertips to delicately caress her clit.

Kūkaku inhaled sharply and snapped her hips back against his right hand, grinding.

After a time, he turned his right hand so it was palm-down. Slowly, he curled his fingers and focused exclusively on a particular spot in her, methodically pressing it with his digits.

She ground her teeth and bit at the towel again, sliding her arms down her sides and bending them so she could play with her chest. Her need for stimulation grew by the second.

They kept on in that way until Byakuya withdrew his left hand, bringing it up along the curve of her ass and then between her cheeks. He used his pinky to spread her nectar over her asshole.

Kūkaku was too preoccupied to do more than weakly open her eyes at the feeling. She closed them again when his hand returned to where it had been—only to gasp as she felt his lips brush her right buttock.

He planted kisses all over the curves of her rear, varying them with nibbles, nips, soft bites, and light licks. It took all his focus to keep touching her with both hands as he did so, slowly working his way toward her center—she was clean and it was yet another sensitive spot, so he felt obliged. He began to lick, twirling his tongue over her.

Kūkaku writhed. It was too much, and her sense of the world was falling apart under the weight of all the pleasure, her awareness starting to break up into sensory snapshots amid the constant searing flame of stimulation. She breathed his name into the towel as a new sensation started to well up inside her.

Byakuya continued to attend to her with his left hand and tongue, but steadily increased the speed of his right, sliding his fingers against her g-spot. He pressed there more and more insistently as the minutes passed.

The sensation built; Kūkaku's legs and hips trembled. She hadn't ever felt anything like it before. She dropped the towel from her mouth as it started to resemble something else. "B... B—Byakuya..."

He withdrew his tongue and softly kissed her. "This is normal."

She twitched at the feeling of his breath and the pressure of his voice against such a place. "I—but, I... I feel like I need t—to..."

Byakuya turned his head and planted another reassuring kiss against the softness of her rear. He returned his focus to his hands as he sat up fully again to avoid getting drenched.

Kūkaku made incoherent sounds as the feeling continued to build before it plateaued, although her desire did nothing of the kind. She was being wound tighter and tighter and...

He gently tugged on her clit.

Her ability to withstand it snapped and she shook, lost in seismic waves of pleasure. Her orgasm was an earthquake, her depths pushing out his fingers as she spasmed against them.

Byakuya didn't stop. He knew that wasn't the end of it.

Kūkaku cried out as everything in her simultaneously locked and pulsed, her mind blanking to pure white. She came harder than she ever had before.

Byakuya watched with barely subdued wonder as she squirted. He refused to slow until she did, and then only gradually, helping her down from the heights of her pleasure.

Kūkaku all but collapsed, all things forgotten in the haze of ecstasy.

It was sometime later when that faded to darkness.

* * *

When Kūkaku slowly opened her eyes, she realized she was somehow on her back, panting. Byakuya was near the bottom of her vision and she became aware of the feeling of his  _shihakushō_  flowing over her. His _haori_ had gone missing, she noticed, but she didn't think much of it.

Byakuya delicately took her cheeks in hand, cradling her face. He'd never seen Kūkaku look so vulnerable before and, tough though she might be, it made him feel compelled to reassure her.

She turned her head to press against one of his palms. Something about the sight of him made her chest feel tight. She was about to close her eyes again to try and escape the feeling when she realized how heavy his sleeves were—they were damp with something. She lifted a hand unsteadily to confirm the matter.

Kūkaku turned pink as her eyes searched his. Had... had she really?...

He stroked her cheek soothingly and withdrew a hand to swipe it across one of her legs. He lifted it so she could see the fluid was clear.

She looked from him to his hand several times, her blush not abating even as her mortification subsided. There was a difference to the cast of his eyes, something she hadn't seen before—not quite the way they were then, anyway.

He brought his newly dampened hand to her mouth and carefully ran his fingers across her lips.

Kūkaku closed her eyes and willingly cleaned him, sucking on his fingers. She rather liked her flavor and didn't bother to disguise the suggestiveness of what she was doing. When he withdrew his hand and cupped her cheek again, she gave him what she hoped was a look of cool regard, only for her eyes to widen as his lips crashed against hers.

His fine hair was suddenly all about her, creating a private space just for them.

A quiet moan escaped her as Byakuya licked at her lips and something invitingly hard pressed against her abs. She closed her eyes and arched her back to greet him as his tongue started to explore her mouth, taking in his size through his clothes. She was highly confident he was just right: big, but not too big, and very eager.

Byakuya shared in her taste and kept her head still until he was satisfied. He kissed her chin and pecked his way along the underside of her jaw.

She brought a hand up into his hair and tangled her fingers in it, pulling back and looking down in the same moment.

They were suddenly face to face again. Byakuya found she looked somewhere between grateful and pissed off.

"I cannot  _believe_  you just did that," she rebuked, her voice husky.

He stared, then gave the smallest smirk. "That I did what?"

Kūkaku's eyelids came down in a disapproving look, although she herself wasn't entirely sure which particular action she'd meant.

She grasped for the  _obi_  of his uniform with her free hand. Her body still reverberated with echoes of what he'd done and she wanted to know what else he was capable of.

Byakuya glanced down just as she found it and caught her wrist, gently pulling it away.

She tugged at his hair again, perplexed and annoyed. "What—"

He lightly squeezed her wrist and kissed her, this time much more tenderly. It was proving difficult to make sense of what he felt.

She blinked, suddenly as aware of the thump of his heart as his arousal. Hers beat in kind, and she shut her eyes, reciprocating. She carefully drew her arm back through his grasp until her hand clasped the side of his.

He eventually broke the kiss, exhaling and pressing his forehead to hers as he squeezed her hand.

She squeezed back and released his hair, just cradling the back of his head.

Awhile passed before he solemnly whispered, "I have indeed seen many new things."

Kūkaku peeked at him and found him considering her. She looked to the side. "Smartass." There was no heat or derision behind it.

Byakuya tilted his head so their cheeks slid together. "I do want a closer look."

She closed her eyes and slowly arched her back again, running her body against his in a rising wave from her abdomen to her chest. "You're not the only one who wants to see something new."

He nipped her earlobe. "I told you, the duty of a host is to look after their guests."

Kūkaku had a momentary misgiving as to why he wouldn't commit himself, but if he would help her come like that again... well, that could hardly be called a disappointment. She issued a hum of acceptance and tilted her head back, exposing her neck to him as she guided him to it.

Byakuya softly kissed his way down her jaw as she directed him and lightly bit her throat, careful not to mark her. At the same time, he brought his free hand up to caress her face and brushed her hair aside. His fingers traced her features as if to memorize her by touch.

She nuzzled his hand before turning her head to kiss his palm, squeezing his other hand and nudging his head lower still.

Byakuya's face soon rested against the swell of her chest. He turned to one side and kissed her while he drew his hand down from her face to the other breast, grasping her.

Kūkaku gasped and pressed his head to her, still exceedingly sensitive from the earlier attention she'd received and given herself.

He began to use his mouth to explore and play with her like he had with her ass while kneading with his hand. He deliberately avoided her nipples.

Her back arched reflexively and she tangled her fingers in his hair again: she'd only tolerate so much teasing.

Byakuya released her hand, grasping the breast he was focusing on. He began to circle her nipples with his thumbs, and gave each equal attention with his mouth.

Kūkaku got her newly freed hand on top of his head to steer him better, making a drawn out "Mmm," that turned into an "Oh!" as he started to nip and suckle her. She let him lavish attention on her until it was too much and the need between her legs became impossible to ignore any longer, and forced his head down.

He complied with only a token show of resistance, kissing the bottom of one of her breasts before licking his way down her hard abs. He dallied at her navel, swirling his tongue against it appreciatively, and before he knew it her soft hair was tickling his mouth and nose. It was musky with her aroma. He swore under his breath at how intoxicating the scent was and how hard it made him.

Kūkaku pushed Byakuya's face into her muff, then spread her legs and drew them up, presenting herself to him.

He took her ankles and brought the arches of her feet to rest against his shoulders before grasping her ass and squeezing it.

She curled her toes at that, relaxing her grip somewhat to give him mostly free reign.

Byakuya nuzzled at her appreciatively, turning his attention to her creamy inner thighs. They were still sticky from earlier and he methodically cleaned her. Gradually, he worked his way toward her mound.

Kūkaku rocked and swiveled her rear and legs against his hands and mouth, getting into it. The feeling of his breath and cooling saliva on her skin were amazing and his tongue was surprisingly strong...

When he was satisfied, he paused to get a good look at her, using his right hand to gently spread her inner lips. She was an exquisite shade of pink and was already wet again, though her juices were thicker and milky. He took a deep breath to try and clear his head, only to lose more of himself to her scent. He drew closer, softly exhaling on her.

Her hips twitched and she visibly spasmed against his fingers, quietly calling his name and tugging his head closer.

Byakuya slowly and longingly licked all the way along Kūkaku to keep her from dripping.

She pressed against his mouth and let out a soft cry, her voice warbling as he focused on her clit.

He released her rear and slid his left hand around her thigh and over her stomach, using his arm to anchor her lower torso. Once he was sure she was secure, he turned his right hand and ran the back of his pointer and middle fingers against her wetness to slick them.

Kūkaku tugged and pushed at Byakuya's head encouragingly as his teeth grazed and fingers worked. It took no time at all to coat him.

He pushed his fingers in, stirring her depths but avoiding her g-spot for the time being. When her juices ran clear, he switched, using his fingers to stroke her and pushing his tongue into her instead. His head swam as he became drunk with her.

Kūkaku made all kinds of noise at the attention and forced his head against her, her thighs rhythmically compressing against him. The feeling of his silky hair on her skin just added to the sensation and she squirmed. "Yes, yes... oh! Yes!"

Byakuya did his best to build her pleasure up methodically. He alternated where he focused with his mouth and fingers, and gradually turned his efforts toward her g-spot again.

She was adrift in the waves of electric heat spreading out from her core when _that_ sensation intruded into her awareness again. Knowing what it was left her much better prepared and she gripped his hair with both hands as it grew, waiting for it to level out. "Byakuya, I'm... I'm gonna!..."

Byakuya brought his mouth firmly over her mound, lapping at her to bring her to climax.

Kūkaku arched her back hard and jammed his head forward as she came again. She gushed, calling his name and trembling.

He found it a struggle to keep up. It was just as he wondered if he might drown that she ebbed and fell silent.

Her hands released his hair, her feet went slack against his shoulders, and her back dropped against the cushions as she became lost in the afterglow.

Byakuya slowly pulled his head back and set about cleaning her, savoring her taste. He closed his hands around hers. When she opened her eyes again, he was there, kissing her softly and sharing with her.

Kūkaku weakly gripped his fingers and partook of it, luxuriating in the kiss for as long as she could before turning her head to get some air.

He stayed close, giving her time before he whispered, "Again?"

Slowly, she nodded her head, her cheek brushing his.

* * *

Kūkaku groaned quietly and drowsily opened her eyes.

For a moment, she had no idea where she might be or what had happened. She took in the subdued lighting of an unfamiliar room, feeling wonderfully clean, warm, and secure. A glance down revealed she was swaddled in an incredibly comfortable  _yukata_  and a pair of arms was wrapped around her waist.

She realized from the angle that she was upright and being held against something—someone.

"Wha—" She tried to turn her head.

"Try not to move suddenly yet."

"Byakuya?..." She blinked as everything that'd happened came rushing back. Her cheeks flushed partially. She'd had her fifth orgasm and... She couldn't remember anything after that. Had she passed out?

Before she could say anything the rim of a cup came to rest against her lips.

"This is just water."

She looked down at it uncertainly and was suddenly swamped by another set of sensations: she felt woozy, her limbs were heavy, and she was parched. She parted her lips and let him move the cup, drinking. She couldn't recall having ever wanted water more and tried to lift a hand to tilt it faster.

Byakuya caught her hand and held it still. "Do not drink too quickly—take your time."

Kūkaku grudgingly kept quiet and played along, figuring out they were seated on a pile of cushions in the meantime. When she'd finished her sixth cup, she tried to look at him again.

He didn't stop her. They were abruptly face to face as she looked over her shoulder. She seemed more flustered than angry.

The turn made her slightly dizzy, but she ignored it and studied him intently—he almost looked vaguely abashed. She noticed his collar was different and glanced down, finding he was wearing a similar  _yukata_. She blinked before smirking slightly and looking to him again—that  _shihakushō_  would've definitely needed laundering after all it'd been through.

"You seem very self-satisfied."

She grinned lazily at his expression of mild pique. "That's one way of putting it."

He watched her for a few seconds.

She did the same, noting the set of his eyes. No matter what was on his face, she could see the concern in them, along with something else. She deliberately turned away, studying the room. "Where are we?"

"This is part of my private quarters."

Kūkaku looked back to him.

Byakuya locked eyes with her. "Does that make you upset?"

Her focus drifted away and she turned her head to conceal the fact she was smirking again, though the cast of it was different. "No." There was a long pause. "How long was I out?"

"It has been several hours. Once I was sure nothing was wrong, I took the liberty of cleaning and dressing you before bringing you here." It all sounded very matter-of-fact.

Her smirk became a smile, though her tone didn't betray it. " _You_ , Kuchiki Byakuya, were worried about  _me?_ "

Byakuya looked chagrined and rolled his eyes since she couldn't see him. "What would ever give you such a preposterous idea?"

Kūkaku softly squeezed his hand.

He blinked, having forgotten that he still had hold of her.

"Maybe I do prefer your attention."

Byakuya glanced away and cleared his throat before he released her, taking up a small tray and setting it on her lap. "You should try and eat, and have more water."

Kūkaku looked down to find bowls of  _somen_  noodles, dipping sauce, rice, and a selection of various favorites of hers. She stared for a second, then glanced sideways. Did he really already know her that well after less than a year? "Surely you have better things to do than watch me eat." Her tone was playfully mocking.

"Who is watching you do anything?  _I_  am relaxing and mentally reviewing the day before bed."

She scoffed at the suggestion contained within the remark and started in.

* * *

When she'd finished, Kūkaku set the tray aside and leaned back against him, even more tired than when she'd awoken. "You said something about bed."

"I did."

"I'd like that now."

"I can escort you to a—" Byakuya stopped as she found one of his hands.

She considered him over her shoulder, then just as quickly looked away. "I was kinda loud earlier and that scent is hard to mistake for anything else... I doubt you did your own laundry and people talk. They likely all already know."

He just watched her.

"So, unless you don't want me here..." Kūkaku's eyes found his again.

Byakuya's look became haughty. "Who would dare deny the inestimable Shiba Kūkaku?"

She blinked. A small grin curled her lips.


End file.
